With the departure of Mo Williams in an offseason trade, Bledsoe became a full-time backup point guard this season.

Outside of high school and a small portion of his rookie season, Bledsoe didn’t have much experience at the position.

“Being the lead guard was an adjustment for him,” Pack said. “We’ve constantly stressed to him that he needs to be a leader on the floor, play with the pace that he plays at, but just make the right decisions with that pace.”

Over the summer, Bledsoe played competitive pick-up games at a local rec center in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala,, arriving at the gym at 9 a.m., working on his core and legs for an hour or two, and then spend the rest of the day playing basketball against former college and overseas players. No drills. No weight lifting. Just basketball.